FCC Confirmation
Saga Continues

3/19/2012 12:01 AM Eastern

By: By John Eggerton

Washington — It is looking more likely thatwhen the Federal Communications Commission releasesdocuments on LightSquared’s proposed 4Gwireless-broadband network to the House Energy &Commerce Committee, as it has signaled it will, thethreatened hold on two nominees to the agency willbe lifted.

According to a well-placed source, supporters ofthe nominees to two open FCC seats — Repulican AjitPai and DemocratJessica Rosenworcel— are pushingfor some action onthe nominationsbefore the Easterbreak. The impedimentto that actioncould be ready tomove as well.

That “action”would be full-Senateconfirmation of thepresident’s nominees,since bothsailed through theirSenate CommerceCommittee hearingvote with bipartisanbacking.

Standing in theway has been Sen.Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), mad at the FCC for not givingup documents related to the LightSquared matterand for not making agency staff members available totalk with his staff about the waiver it granted to thatcompany to build its proposed satellite-based 4G network.Grassley was concerned that the FCC rushedthrough the waiver — which has since been rescinded— without sufficiently vetting how the 4G servicewould aff ect satellite-based global positioning systems.

The FCC has declined Grassley’s request becausehe is not the chair of a relevant oversight committee.

Grassley’s shadow remains over the nominations,but now that one of those ranking chairmen, Rep. FredUpton (R-Mich.), has asked for LightSquared documents,and a committee member indicated Uptonwould share them, Grassley’s office signaled to MultichannelNews last week that could break the logjam,even if the FCC does not make the staffers available.

“Sen. Grassley wants the documents he requested,and one of the House members who has requesteddocuments from the FCC said he’ll share them withSen. Grassley,” a Grassley spokeswoman said. “If Sen.Grassley receives access to the documents, he’d considerreleasing his hold on the nominees.”

That “consider” still leaves wiggle room, but thestaff er indicated that doesn’t mean Grassley wouldnot still be unhappy with the FCC, only that he wouldlet the nominees proceed while still being unhappy.

That would leave the nominees in the clear so longas they were not then victims of the ongoing generalpartisan battle between Hill Republicans and Democratsover nominations — Republicans are stillsmarting over the President’s “recess” appointmentof Richard Cordray as head of the new ConsumerFinancial Protection Agency.